Students celebrate Indigenous heritage and culture

News

Students celebrate Indigenous heritage and culture

Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School students had the opportunity to delve into Aboriginal heritage and culture as part of the School’s Impact Week (Week 10, Term 2).

There was a strong focus on Noongar languages within the local community to coincide with the NAIDOC Week 2017 theme of the importance, resilience and richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages.

Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School Indigenous Students Co-ordinator Lee Taylor said the week “was spent being active, chanting and learning through immersion”.

“It is through interactions with Indigenous culture that stereotypes and misconceptions can be broken, whilst promoting understanding and acceptance,” Mr Taylor said.

Students visited significant Noongar places within the Bunbury area such as burial grounds, dance and ceremony sites, and the old Roelands Mission.

Troy Bennell conducted a tour around Bunbury, which provided invaluable insight into the Noongar culture, how former laws affected Aboriginal people and the importance of word of mouth, song and art.

Les Wallam and former Carlton Football Club player Sid Jackson greeted the students at the Roelands Mission where they shared stories of the Stolen Generation. A common theme was the significance of family and country, as well as the importance of keeping the numerous language groups alive in Australia.

Department of Parks and Wildlife Park Ranger Ken Ninyette visited the School later in the week to share his knowledge about local flora and fauna. He helped students identify bush tucker within the School’s bushland, which students then sampled.

Mr Ninyette discussed the importance of conservation and noted the strong health of the native environment at the School, stating “you would not find a healthier example of this ecosystem from here to Perth”.

“I really enjoyed the opportunity to improve my local cultural awareness, and appreciated the time and information provided by our guides,” said Year 8 student Jarrah Tinker.